In 1482 Florence, Luciana Vetra is a 16 year old orphaned prostitute, when one of her clients asks her to sit for the famous painter, Sandro Botticello. Mad that she isn’t paid for her time spent modeling, she steals a small copy of the painting and mayhem ensues. Before she realizes the power of what she has, her roommate is killed as well as a lover/client. She can trust no one, but a monk that she meant the day before.

On they run, through all of Italy, the two are chased while trying to decipher what conspiracy is a foot with the painting.

The Botticelli Secret has it’s thrilling twist, but has a few flaws as well. The crude language of Luciana can be quite jarring at times as well as unnecessary. The ciphers in the painting are very complex and it is hard to picture a young unlearned prostitute that can’t even read or write figuring them out as easily as she does. There are also many points where the dialogue seems very contemporary. If you would love to read fiction about the political intrigue of Italy before it was united, this might just be your great escape.